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CHAPTER
71
Vance
Waking up to a constantbeeping noise, I tried to look around the room and figure out where I was, and then it hit me, Lily! Brice! Sitting up quickly, it felt like a knife was being stabbed into my chest over and over again as it sucks the air from my lungs. “Easy Mr. Martinez, easy.” I heard a woman encourage me as she laid her hand on my arm. I looked over at her. “My name is Nurse Collins. You’re at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, do you remember what happened?”
“Y-yes, I w-was s-shot.” I finally pushed out, realizing how hard it was to breath.
“That's good. Now you need to rest, you had a collapsed lung that had to be repaired, so you’re going to need to slow your movements down for a bit and give your body time to heal.”
“L-Lily? I-is she o-okay?”
“I believe she’s one of the people who came in with you that's in the waiting room.”
“A-and B-Brice?”
“He's in recovery also, he had a tear in his heart repaired and is going to be just fine.”
Feeling like the biggest weight on my heart had just been lifted, knowing that they were both okay, I sank further into the bed, letting out a heavy breath. “W-when can I s-see them?”
“I was just about to bring Lily in since your friend is being moved into this room with you, seems someone made a heavy donation to the hospital to ensure you were both in the same room together.”
“L-Lily,” I said, believing she'd be the only one with the means and the need for us to be together.
“No, not her, it was her father. Raised a big olé ruckus about you two being in the same room, and being who he is, let's just say the donation was an added bonus, knowing no one in this town says no to him.”
Shocked that Lily’s father would even bother, knowing how he threatened us the last time we saw him, I asked in disbelief. “R-really?”
“Really. Now I'm going to get her while we wait for Mr. Richards to be brought in.” She informed me, leaving the room.
Sitting there for a moment, I decided that no matter who Lily’s father was and who she’d been promised to, Brice and I were marrying that woman or we’re going to die trying.
A few moments later, the door opened to the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen. Holding my arms open to a tearful Lily, she stared at me in disbelief for a few seconds before she charged at me, drawing up at the last second.
“I-I don't want to hurt you.”
“C-come here.” I pulled her into me tight, feeling the pressure in my chest with a pinch of pain, but I didn't care, the pain meant I was alive, and she was in my arms for real and not a dream.
“I'm so sorry, Vance, so sorry.”
“Shh, e-everything's going to be o-okay.” I assured her, gripping her tighter and pulling her onto the bed with me.
“Wait, what about the wires to your monitors?”
“I-I don't give a shit about t-them, I need to feel you a-against me.”
“I need to feel you, too. When... when you fell... I didn't know h-how I was going to make it if you and Brice didn't. I love you both so much. You both have a piece of my heart and it would have stopped beating if I’d lost you both. I was so scared.” She broke down in my arms.
Kissing the top of her head, I pulled her chin up and brushed my lips over hers. “T-there’s no way I could e-ever leave you s-sweetheart because you have my h-heart, too. I-I love you s-so much it h-hurts when I'm not with you.”
Laying on the bed together, in an appreciating silence, we just held onto one another. The door opening again caught our attention. “Is it safe to come in or are you two kids naked already?” We heard Carter joke as he poked his head inside the door with Hudson trailing behind him.
“G-get in h-here, assholes.” I replied with a coughing chuckle, drawing a worried look from Lily. “I-I'm fine sweetheart, really, t-try not to w-worry.” I whispered in her ear.
“Glad to see a mere bullet couldn't take you down, brother.” Carter reached out, shaking my hand, the only part of me I was willing to remove long enough from Lily to greet him.
“Yeah man, you gave us quite a scare...” Hudson started to say when the door opened and Brice was brought in.
